Optimize With Brian Johnson | More Wisdom In Less Time

Albert Ellis has been recognized as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century (#2, in fact, right ahead of Freud and behind Carl Rogers). Ellis was, essentially, the founder of the modern cognitive behavioral movement and in this Note we’ll have fun exploring some Big Ideas on how to get our minds right—from understanding the roots of neurosis, the ABC’s of suffering, and the importance of action, you’ll feel inspired and empowered by the end!

Stoicism. I love it. Although pretty obscure today, Stoicism was once the primary philosophy of the Western world. (We’ve done Notes on the three leading Stoics: Marcus Aurelius and his Meditations, Seneca and his Letters from a Stoic, and Epictetus and his Enchiridion.) In this, Note, we’ll cover some of the essential ideas of the Stoic philosophical approach along with some Big Ideas on the art of living, the true meaning of virtue, how to visualize and the fact that we’re living in a dream world.

If you’re looking to “Break free of stress, inner conflict, and self-sabotage” then Neil Fiore’s Awaken Your Strongest Self is the book for you! We already did a Note on Fiore’s GREAT book on overcoming procrastination called The Now Habit and I’m excited to have some fun sharing a few of my favorite Big Ideas from this great book as well. You’ll get to know your Strongest Self as we learn about the third perspective, ask ourselves “Where can I start?”, and address the genius syndrome!

Want to learn how to improve your mind as you age? You can and this book by Michael Gelb (author of one of my favorite books: How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci) and Kelly Howell (creator of Brain Sync’s Destiny meditation which I’ve used hundreds of times!) tells us how. In the Note, we’ll take a peek at their eight ways to boost brain power--ranging from optimism, learning and nutrition to exercise, love and rest! Powerful stuff.

Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist and meditation teacher and this book delivers on its sub-title, delivering a practical look at the neuroscience of happiness, love and wisdom. It’s packed with Big Ideas on the science of how our brains work and he shares a broad range of various practices and guided meditations to help us re-wire our brains. Good stuff.

This book is REALLY REALLY good. In fact, I’m gonna say that if you take the time to read only *one* book on nutrition, read this one. Integrating scientific research plus his experience treating over 10,000 patients with common sense and fun, Dr. Joel Fuhrman has created a super-readable book with a challenging, yet approachable nutrition program that can completely change your life. Big Ideas we explore in the Note include the importance of really committing, what nutritional density is all about and other goodness.

I just love his no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point approach. His words pack a wise punch. We already profiled another one of his great books, The Total Money Makeover, and I’m excited to have some fun taking a quick peek at a few of my favorite Big Ideas from this equally great book: EntreLeadership, where he shares his best “practical business wisdom” he’s learned “from the trenches.” Big Ideas include understanding that you are the problem (and the solution!), the importance of passion and vision, and how it takes about fifteen years to be an overnight success. Good stuff!

This is the fourth Note I’ve done on Wayne Dyer’s stuff. We also profiled Your Erroneous Zones + The Power of Intention + Real Magic. I just love his simple, inspiring, practical wisdom. In this book Dr. Dyer walks us through how to finally (!) get rid of disempowering thoughts. It’s packed with goodness. In the Note, we’ll explore Big Ideas on the importance of moving from “excusing” to “choosing,” what self-actualizers focus on, why commitments beat pronouncements and other goodness so we can make our excuses be gone!

Want to be fearless? Then you’ll love this book. And this Note. Steve Chandler is a funny guy. And, he’s brilliant. I really like that combo. :) We have Notes on two of his other great books: 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself + Time Warrior. All of Steve’s books are quick-reading, wisdom-packed gems that will make you laugh as you get your wisdom on. In this Note, we’ll have fun eliminating fear from our lives as we learn how to challenge fear thoughts, make tectonic shifts, and discover the secret of life. Good times!

Martin Seligman is one of the founding fathers of the Positive Psychology movement and this is the third Note we’ve done on one of his books. (Check out the Notes on his other classics: Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness for more science of happiness goodness.) In this Note, we’ll explore his shift from Authentic Happiness Theory to Well-Being Theory as we wrap our brains around PERMA, his model of well-being that consists of Positive emotions + Engagement + Relationships + Meaning + Achievement. Good times.

Ed Diener is the world’s leading researcher on the science of happiness and his son, Robert Biswas-Diener is known as the “Indiana Jones of psychology” because of his data collection adventures around the world. (Love that. :) In their great book, Happiness, they give us a comprehensive look at what we KNOW creates happiness. In this Note, we’ll have some fun figuring out how we can become psychological billionaires as we master the happiness equation, become loving and caring angels, and take AIM at happiness.

This uber-best-selling classic is basically the granddady of self-help books. It's about a lot more than making money and in this Note, we'll have fun looking at the power of a strong desire (whether you're the Buddha seeking enlightenment or an entrepreneur creating something awesome, you better have a strong desire!), persistence (!), self-confidence, faith, and just doing it.

This is easily one of THE most transformative books I've ever read. In the Note, we'll explore all seven spiritual laws with special emphasis on #7 (The Law of Dharma) that inspired me to sell my former business and, eventually, create PhilosophersNotes. (Here's the question Deepak asks that rocked my world: If you had all the time and all the money in the world, what would you do? … So, what would you do? … The Note has cool Ideas on how to answer and rock that one!)

More Wattles mojo here. In this Note, we'll look at the logic behind why Wattles believes we should be rich (quickly: you can render no greater service to God and humanity than to make the most of yourself and you can't do that if you’re poor; see Note for more), and how we need to become creators (and leave the competitive plane), focus on things we're grateful for, get clear on our vision and take action and more action and more action.

The wise Michael Roach was an undercover Buddhist monk who used a classic sutra from Buddhism (called The Diamond Cutter) to build a diamond business. In his book, he describes how he successfully applied this classic wisdom to his modern business and in the Note, we'll take a look at some of my favorite Big Ideas—including the fact that the world is "empty" of meaning and we always have the ability to see its hidden potential.

Eric Butterworth is an amazing guy and this book really transformed my relationship to money. In the Note, we'll take a look at the fact that our goal shouldn't be to make money/acquire schtuff but to achieve the level of consciousness through which abundance flows through our lives naturally. We'll look at the roots of the words affluence and security and prosperity along with some Big Ideas on how to merge our spirituality and our economics.

T.Harv Eker is a funny guy and this book is packed with wisdom on how to "master the inner game of wealth." In the Note, we'll explore awesome Big Ideas ranging from the importance of playing to win (vs. playing not to lose) to the fact that there's a big difference between "wanting" wealth and being *committed* to creating it.

One of the best-selling self-development franchises of all time, this book is packed with Big Ideas. In the Note, we'll quickly look at why you want to invest in assets that produce income and how your house is (gulp) a liability, not an asset then we'll move on to explore the keys to thinking like the Rich Dad—controlling our thoughts, facing our fears, and all that jazz.

This is one of three titles we cover by Esther and Jerry Hicks. In this Note, we'll look at some Big Ideas on how to rock the Law of Attraction to circulate wealth. We'll explore the fact that the most valuable skill we'll ever have is the control of our minds and how we need to make our lifetime career all about discovering and following our bliss!

How're your erroneous zones doing? Dr. Wayne Dyer's first mega-best-selling book is straight to the point, funny, and eminently practical. In this Note, we'll explore some really Big Ideas ranging from the importance of self-reliance and self-worth (vs. worrying about what others think and therefore having "other-worth") to the need to quit "musterbating."